


Peregrinus

by uebermensch



Series: The Callback Series [1]
Category: Smallville
Genre: Best Friends, Daily Planet, F/M, Male-Female Friendship, Post-Canon, She knows his secret, Some Humor, Work Colleagues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-31
Updated: 2015-03-31
Packaged: 2018-03-18 11:22:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3567815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uebermensch/pseuds/uebermensch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on the CW's "Smallville." Lois knows Clark's secret, and they're a big reporting team at The Daily Planet under the leadership of Perry White. Here's what happens when the team is hot on two stories, and White wants ink on them ... yesterday. Main elements drawn from Odyssey (S08E01), with a few additional minor callbacks. One-shot and complete.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Peregrinus

**Author's Note:**

> THE CALLBACK SERIES
> 
> After Clark reveals his secret to Lois in "Isis" (S10E05), they spend some time (off-screen) subsequently revisiting past conversations. In a series of callbacks, I'll revisit scenes and conversations beginning from season 8, although I should examine "Crimson" (S06E13) as well. Anyone have a spare Legion Ring handy? I'm borrowing these characters for this story.

"Aaaaaaah!"

That was the sound of frustration, and the source of this discontent was having a particularly trying start to the day at the office. As much as she loved journalistic challenges, Lois Lane was not particularly fond of trying days in the office.

The "Daily Planet" was in the midst of daily morning chaos. Editor Perry White was up to his third "Great Caesar's Ghost!", and Lois had the misfortune of having been within earshot.

That was neither accident nor coincidence.

Feeling a little glum, she looked up from her computer to the clock on the wall: it wasn't even nine in the morning.

With a cup (already, her third) of coffee and a half-eaten maple donut (from yesterday) to the side, she was furiously typing away at a huge story about corruption connecting at least one highly-placed staff member in the state prosecutor's office with organized crime in Metropolis.

She should have finished her story yesterday, as Superman had the previous day helped uncover the hidden stash of documents directly linking the prosecutor's office to the unfolding scandal. But she had also helped Clark in what was initially an unrelated story, as the story on shady real estate practices had taken a sharp turn upon deeper examination of the documents, and evidence of misconduct had also led back to the prosecutor's office.

They had worked furiously last night through the mountain of evidence, straightening out their stories, writing enough to keep them separate, while clearly drawing sufficient and careful connections to each other's story and therefore, to the prosecutor's office.

A quick call at 1am to a grumbling half-asleep Perry had meant tomorrow's edition would have one of their stories above and the other story below the fold; Perry had wisely let them figure out who would … be on top.

It would've surprised Perry the decision had come swiftly. Lois and Clark agreed Lois' article was more important and appear above the fold. They also settled on being the second on each other's bylines. Finally, they ended up walking through the explosion of paper strewn in their living room, and dragged themselves to bed just after 4am.

So glued to her keyboard and screen, she hadn't even noticed the rush of air and the "whoosh".

So strong was her focus (or exhaustion), she didn't even hear the soft greeting from her partner at the adjacent desk.

Squeak.

Sqwwaaaaah-squeeeeeak.

Squeeek-squeak, squeak-squeeek, squee- ...

Irritated at losing her focus, she leaned around the computer screen.

"Smallville!"

"Oh, I'm sorry - is this bothering you?"

"It's **NOT** the chair that's bothering me, Smallville …"

"Aaaaaaaand a good morning to you, too, Lois ..."

She could swear the man had a smirk on his face, and if she wasn't on deadline, she'd go right on over and kick his Kryptonian ass ...

With a grin on his face, Clark Kent stood up, and walked over to her side, and sat at the edge of her desk. She could smell something really good, something baked, something sinful, something **very**  buttery. He waved a small white paper bag in her direction.

"Loooooois," he said in a sing-song voice. "Would you like a croissant, a "pain du choco" from Lyon?"

"Uhm, France?"

His smile widened to show teeth. "Yes."

"Gimme!"

She leapt up from her chair, and quickly snatched the dangling bag from his outstretched hand. Ripping the bag open, she dug for the buttery morsel, and took a large bite.

"Mmmmmm … awww yeah, you're a lifesaver, Smallville! I didn't see you when I woke up this morning, and I figured you were out on patrol. What's going in France?"

"Big storm and flooding in western Europe. Had to fly by Holland and make sure some of the levees were holding strong, too. I was flying back when I swung by southern France to lend a hand in some flooded areas."

"Anyone hurt?"

"Thankfully, no. I arrived in Europe in time and made a few saves. I realized I was in the 'neighborhood' and you hadn't had French pastries in awhile ..."

" ... so you thought you'd get me a croissant."

"Like I said, I was in the 'neighborhood', give or take a couple hundred miles ..."

They grinned at each other. Clark reached up with his hand, gently thumbing away a stray piece of flaky pastry from Lois' mouth, making sure to stroke her upper lip in the process.

She closed her eyes, both at the sensual taste of the food and the open feel of his touch.

They could make any breakfast look sexy, especially if she was wearing nothing but his football jersey …

 _Nothing beats homecoming, Lois style_ , he thought.

When he flew into the office, Clark remembered Lois looking a little stressed, more so than the usual state of Lois.

"What's going on? You looked like you were going to shoot beams of fire out of your eyes."

She narrowed her eyes in a brief glare. "Ha ha. No, it's just that Perry had me in his sights this morning. Might be payback for calling him at 1 in the morning …"

Clark knew where she was going with this. "How many have there been so far?"

With a guilty look on her face, she replied: "Three Caesars."

"Yikes."

"Yeah, tell me about it ..."

"I'm sorry I wasn't here to help write."

"`S okay, someone's gotta save the world. But now that you're here ..."

"Not yet, unfortunately."

"Oh?"

Clark stood up from the edge of Lois' desk, returned to his seat and began his online search. "When I woke up and headed out this morning, I realized I still have two more contacts to track down to confirm the final details for my story."

"OK, yeah, gotta seal the deal. We need to get your story nailed strong by tonight for tomorrow's edition."

As he settled in his chair, the chair began to squeak, as he continued typing.

Lois had a thoughtful faraway look in her eyes as she continued chewing on her breakfast.

After some time, Clark realized silence had reigned from the other side of the room, which normally wasn't a good sign. He looked up and across to Lois.

 _Always did love that dreamy look on her face_ , Clark thought with a smile.

"What is it, Lois?"

She stood from her chair and sat at the corner of his desk. "Do you remember when we, well ... actually you, started our game of squeaky ping-pong?"

"Yeah. Although I thought I was never going to work at the Daily Planet, I told you I wanted to be closer to the action."

He remembered the conversation well. They had freed Chloe from Black Creek, and he had decided he really wanted to be at the Daily Planet all along. He realized later he wanted to be closer to Lois: she'd get into all sorts of trouble, and who better than Clark Kent to keep an eye out for her?

"But the truth was you couldn't stay away from me."

"Lois Lane: irresistible force. Is that it?" He stood and walked around to her desk.

She snapped her fingers. "When ya got it, ya got it ..."

He stepped up to his partner, getting up close and within her personal space.

Lois' eyes bulged. "Smallville, what are you doing?"

"Do you remember what else I said to you that day?" That smug look of his had returned in force.

What was he talking about? Oh.

She did remember.

"I do. You said you wanted to be closer to home."

She hadn't realized the deeper meaning of what his concept of "home" had really meant at the time; she didn't think he did, either. Bu things were different now: there was no other place they wanted to be.

"I couldn't believe we were going to be neighbors, you know, desk neighbors. I mean, **who** knew?! Who knew you were such a master of understatement?"

Clark graced her with a full smile, which melted that part of Lois that few ever saw. When he looked at her that way, she could not, would not refuse him anything.

Except for the fact that she had no desire, none, to exceed Perry's "Caesar" limit. One staffer had gotten five, and that poor bastard no longer worked at the Planet.

"Clark, I really have to get back to my article ..."

"Don't let me stop you ..." He had actually the gall to step even closer into her personal space.

"You're a little frisky this morning, aren't you? I like it ..."

" **DO** you now ..."

"Claaaaaark ...," she almost begged.

"Loooois ...," he really pushed.

That look on her face, she was pleading for mercy.

"OK, Lois. I'm going to head out for another quick patrol of the city, but seriously, if you need some help, or even if you just want to play 'good fierce reporter, bad mild-mannered reporter', I'll be happy to help and play along."

"Thanks, Smallville, but I've got, we've got enough to bury the son of a bitch. When all of this breaks, all hell's gonna break loose. I've gotta get the last few parts of my story done … and so do you, buddy!"

"Yeah, I know. Well, guess I'll go and leave you to it …"

Before he jetted off into a whoosh, she grabbed his arm. She stepped into him, and reached up to put her arms around his neck.

"Ah ah aaah, Smallville, you're forgetting something!"

"Really? And what's that?"

"I have to thank you for getting croissants from France; that was really sweet of you."

"I'd do anything for you."

She tilted his head down for a kiss. 

"You drive me crazy," Clark said.

She laughed. "Right back at `cha, Smallville."

"Don't forget, Lois, Chloe's back in town, and we've got a meeting with our other 'super friends' at Watchtower later tonight. Figure eight o'clock: first, some drinks, …"

At "drinks", Lois perked up and was about to sound off when Clark held his hand up.

" … and no, Zatanna won't be providing the drinks. There'll be some food, some catching up, and then we'll get into shop-talk with the whole group at about nine."

"Geez, Smallville, you say it like I've never been to any one of these things with you. I'm not going to forget!"

"I know you, Lois: I know you've got a ton on your plate, and if you get wind of a tip or a hot lead, you're going to head out …"

"… and you think I'll forget and put myself in danger. Blah blah blah ..."

Lips thinned, Clark's expression was not amused, to which Lois recovered herself in time.

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! I'll be at Watchtower at 8, and not a minute later."

"Not a minute later, Lois ..."

She fairly rolled her eyes in exasperation and placed her hands at her hips in defiance. "How the hell did this happen? How is it **you're** the one now busting my chops?"

He smiled. "All's fair in love and war?"

Remembering their brief stint on morning television, she grinned in reply. "And what's it going to be for us, Clark: love or war?"

He held her face tenderly with both hands and kissed her: soft, slow, and sweet.

"Love, Lois: definitely, love."

"Good answer, Flannelman. Now, get moving …"

Reluctantly, he let her go. She slapped his butt for good measure as she moved past him, returning to her desk.  She felt the familiar rush-pull of air as he left the office. She sat down, and with her fingers stretched for the keyboard, she reached up and touched her lips.

Quietly and barely a whisper, she voiced the lingering thought, one she knew only he could hear while he was in flight.

"Love you."

 


End file.
